Eze 37:
1 ¶ The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
“As it was in the days of Noah….” (Mat 24:38-39) The absolute seriousness of these days. It is indeed as it was in the days of Noah. Even though he preached 120 years concerning the Righteousness of God and the need for preparation, it was not until the door of the ark was shut that people finally (and tragically) got the Message. Then it was too late.
The Incomparable Word of God… TRUTH (about all things) The relevance of the Word. The Only Reliable source of information for those who want the Truth.
Listen to where we are and what is soon to happen: (The News Behind the News 2)
Willing to be Radical and Real. (“The church has been domesticated”)
Tamed by the world. Effected by the world. Mild-mannered preachers, preaching a mild-mannered message to mild mannered people to keep them mild-mannered.
Ezekiel Chapter 37:
The prophet sees the regathering of Israel. God says that there will be a coming together of the bones that have for so long been scattered. The dispersion of the Jews into all the earth is an historical fact. The gathering again of the Nation into one unity and one place is an END TIME EVENT. It had its beginning in 1947 when Israel was once again made a nation. They were dead. They were dry. And there were many of them. They were scattered all over the valley. You can see the meaning of this vision. There is no doubt about who the bones are, what has happened to them and what is going to take place at the end. I see in this vision, a picture of last day’s ministry. I understand that the vision is primarily one that deals with the Jews, but there are indications that are applicable to every nation and every kingdom and every individual.
First, Ezekiel declares that “the Hand of the Lord was upon me…” (37:1) When the Hand of God comes on you, you invariably get “carried away.” And being “carried away” by the Spirit of God into a place of Revelation and Understanding is an end-time happening. I feel it. I sense it. I know it. There is a stirring… a sound of “rustling among the mulberry bushes” that is indicative of the times and seasons of this hour. Fresh revelation is flowing. A deep inner “knowing” (feeling) that awesome events are on the horizon. What we do with what we know determines what happens to us. When we know that these things are occurring then we need to take heed. Pay attention. Get ready. Be prepared. I believe this is a message coming from the Heart of God in this strategic hour.
Ezekiel had a vision. “ and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD…” (37:1) God spoke to him. God showed him some things. What he saw was vital to the people of his day. They needed to hear from God. They needed to know what direction the Spirit was moving. They needed to know what was going to happen next. They needed encouragement. Exhortation. Instruction. They needed faith and hope, and they needed Something to look forward to. When those who are the Called of God to preach, teach and tell operate in the power of the Anointing, great and glorious things happen to the People of God. The anointing breaks every yoke. Unbelief. Doubt. Worry. Fear. All the hindrances of the enemy are overcome, and great strength comes into the Body of Christ. Ezekiel said “You have been dead and scattered. You have been held in hopelessness. You have been dispersed and persecuted. Misunderstood. Hated. You have been ravaged by the devil and discouraged. BUT… something is about to happen! And it is Good!
Notice what the Prophet Saw and what He Said:
- He saw a Valley. This is a low place. Not a mountain. Not a peak. But a valley.
- The Valley was full of bones. A low place filled with the evidence of death. Sounds like hopeless depression to me.
- The bones were very many. Not a minority. But a majority. Not a few, but a lot. Not in a protected place but out in the open. Unprotected. Vulnerable. Open for attack. Exposed.
- They were also very dry. They were not only dead, they were very dead. Had been dead for a long time. They were dry. No life.
This is what the prophet saw. A Valley. A valley full of bones. A valley full of many bones… not a few but numerous… uncountable. Innumerable bones. A valley filled with many bones that were very dry. Dead and dead for a long time. No life.
What does all this mean? What does it say to us today? Consider the following:
- This is a “valley time.” The NT word for this time is “perilous.” Savage. Unnerving. Fearful. A time of dread and instability. These facts are confirmed by the daily news. Reports coming in from all over. This is a “valley time.”
- In this season (valley season) there are many who are dead. Not alive to what God is doing and not aware of what is about to happen. They are removed from Fresh Revelation (the Anointing) and do not have a clue concerning what is on the threshold.
- There are multitudes of them. They are everywhere. In our neighborhood. In our offices. In our places of livelihood. In the malls. In the schools. Even in our families. And, sadly, even in the church.
- They have been in this uncaring, unknowing, unenlightened condition for a very long time. They have become unaware of their critical condition. They are blind. Deceived. They are in need of Revival. Resurrection. Life.
Now, notice what the Prophet Said:
Ezekiel said what he was told to say. (Verse 4). He was told to prophesy (naw-baw’) A primitive root; to prophesy, that is, speak (or sing) by inspiration. He was to prophesy to the bones. He was to “make himself” a prophet by “prophesying.”
- God told him to prophesy to the bones. Now this is interesting. He was not told to preach to them. He was not told to pray for them. He was not told to encourage them. He was not told to baptize them. He was not told to organize them. Or to educate them. Or to count them. Or to raise money for them. Or to send them out as missionaries. He is told one thing and one thing only. To Prophesy to the Bones. There is no force more powerful than the Spoken Word of God when it is Spoken in and under the Anointing of the Holy Ghost. This is prophetic utterance. It is this and only this that will produce Life in a graveyard.
- They were told to Hear the Word of the Lord. To “hear” means to pay attention… to be obedient to and to understand. They were commanded to pay attention to what God was saying. To be obedient to what God was saying. To understand (receive revelation) what God was saying. What is God saying to us today? How is He speaking? Through whom does He speak? When He does speak, are we hearing what He is saying? This morning here at Life can we say with confidence and truth that we will Hear the Word of the Lord?
- God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy Breath was coming into them and that they would surely live and not die. (Verse 5) The prophet was to prophesy that God was going to undertake a supernatural work and take these dry, long dead bones and build life into them beginning from the inside and working to the outside. Sinews or tendons would attach to flesh and muscle and then skin would cover them. Then breath would be breathed into them and they would Live and then KNOW that God is God. (Verse 6) Hey… this relevant prophecy speaks directly to us in this hour of change and transition. God is going to do a supernatural work in us (the Church) that will result in the coming forth of Supernatural Life. From the inside out, He is building us. Restoring us. Making us. Creating us. Adding to tendon, muscle and to muscle flesh and to flesh skin and then… miracle of all miracles… He is breathing Life into us so that we may live and declare that God is God!
As Ezekiel obeyed… notice what took place:
The prophet did exactly what God told him to do. He prophesied to the bones and AS HE DID something miraculous began to happen.
- There was a noise. God’s supernatural interventions in the affairs of earth are often accompanied by noise. Wind. Thunder. Roaring. Rumbling. Shaking. Noise is the outward manifestation that something is happening on the inside.
- There was a shaking. (vibration, bounding, uproar:—commotion, quaking, rattling, rushing, shaking. Things were moved out of their place. Change erupted. Stuff began to happen that they were not accustomed to…. That was not “usual” and “conventional.”
- There was a “coming together.” This means they all came near to each other. Closeness. Helping one another. Considering one another. No jealousy. No strife. No opinions. No criticism. No selfishness. They came together… just like the people did in the 2nd Chapter of Acts… they were in one accord… together. Each “bone” was joined to another “bone”, and all were in the right place at the right time and there was no self-seeking for a “better position or place” in the Body. Do you see this?
In spite of this remarkable miracle… the bones becoming flesh… being created from the inside outward, when the work was finished they were built up but they had no Breath. They were still dead. As those who were slain (verse 9). An army of innumerable troops but they were still dead. It was time for something to happen that would give them life.
Ezekiel was commanded to “prophesy unto the wind (ruòach) and SAY… thus saith the Lord God; come from the four winds O breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live…” Then:
- They lived
- They stood up on their feet
- They became a great army
dickbraswell 